


Tempered Steel

by perryvic, Zaganthi (Caffiends)



Category: DCU (Comics), Smallville, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Kink Bingo 2013, M/M, Technological Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 00:31:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perryvic/pseuds/perryvic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caffiends/pseuds/Zaganthi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex didn't actually get a chance to move before one of the most extreme displays of mutant ability literally ripped apart the wall next to him and a figure floated in, crackling with an aura of electromagnetic discharge. And fuck, he looked extremely pissed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tempered Steel

Sometimes, late at night, he visited the lower levels of LexCorp just to see what could have been. To reminisce about old times -- most of them bad, which usually made him consider what was wrong with the lives of people who were always looking backwards in delight and never forward in hope -- and to be grateful that he survived them. 

Because so many others hadn't. Not in any way that felt like living.

Level...well it was a bit more than level 5 now was more like a rehabilitation zone for those effected by kryptonite. Not everyone made a stable alteration. He was one of the very few and now he tried to do something about it. Unfortunately it meant incarcerating people.

It wasn't their fault that they were unstable, or they were incurable -- that their mutations directly ran against the continuation of life on their planet. It was the nature of kryptonite, to kill, to mutilate, to *change* things permanently and irreparably.

He should have expected that, Lex decided, as he leaned against a glass wall separating the observation hall from one of those effected. He frowned a little, feeling a vibration in the glass that indicated that somewhere something powerful was hitting structures. He tried to recall if anyone they had in was capable of that level of disturbance.

He remained close to the wall, twisting his wrist carefully to bring the comm unit up to his mouth. "Lima Zero to Sierra two. Security report?"

"Sierra two… We are having computer difficulties. Interference..." The communication link dissolved into static and that was ominous.

He canted his eyes up to the ceiling, and mentally worked through the best possibly place to weather whatever was coming. The location was both safe and dangerous, depending on what the nature of the interference was. 

He didn't actually get a chance to move before one of the most extreme displays of mutant ability literally ripped apart the wall next to him and a figure floated in, crackling with an aura of electromagnetic discharge. And fuck, he looked extremely pissed.

There was no point in yelling or hurling threats. At the end of the day, his wits put him above and beyond most of them. "Nice night for a flight, isn't it?"

"A nice night to liberate prisoners and abductee's " the man replied and there was a hint of an accent mingled with the tone of censure. "You are...their jailor I take it. Then you should know how it feels to be jailed."

Quick as a whip crack, metal seemed to flow from all over to whip around him. "A nice night to liberate prisoners and abductee's " the man replied and there was a hint of an accent mingled with the tone of censure. "You are...their jailor I take it. Then you should know how it feels to be jailed."

Quick as a whip crack, metal seemed to flow from all over to whip around him.

He kept himself focused not on the facilities damage, but the man who was mostly hovering in front of him, as he tried to raise his hands in a gesture of surrender. "This is a hospice facility."

"Is that what you call it?" the man replied as metal twine up his arms and hands and then slithered in a restless motion like a tangled knot of snakes. "I have seen...facilities like this the world over...all in the name of science. It is a perversion of word. What is your name?"

He smiled, slow and wide. "Lex Luthor. I own this building that you just took a chunk out of, and work to cure or... contain the meta humans on this level." The man could argue with him or not but as long as he kept him engaged, he was half way there.

"Lex Luthor. Hmm.. " He looked at him, still holding him in the metal."If I was in need of money you would be a prize. However, your scientific papers ar not as deplorable as your politics. And you are not a psychic. " He carefully took off his helmet, reveling a mane of white hair and vivid blue eyes that seemed to be weighing him up. "give me a reason not to throttle you with your own robotic hand. "

To his horror, his hand was detaching itself slowly from his wrist.

There was a crawling pain that went with it, that left him briefly breathless as the man pulled at the careful connections he'd built into his body to control at it. "Mmmhnf, fuck, I think we could help each other."

"...go on..." the man said with a faintly mocking smile even as the fingers on his hand flexed. "Entertain me.” Some the anger seemed to have dissipated. 

"You're a mutant engineer, I'm a mutant engineer, except I have a lot more money for building things, acquiring supplies than you do..." It wasn't like it was a wild guess that the man was a mutant, given that he was all but enchained.

"If you are a mutant then why do you have you fellow mutants locked away in a testing facility?" the man replied approaching him. "This is not Genosha."

It brought a grimace to his face as he tightened his shoulders against the metal. "Exposure to a mutagenic compound like kryptonite doesn't ensure that it causes a *stable* mutation."

"Let me see your records." He didn't wait for permission, just seemed to hack directly into the nearest computer terminal. It left him hanging for a while until he felt the metal gripping him imperceptibly loosen little by little. "Hmm. It would appear that... you are telling the truth. " He turned to look at him again. "I am not normally this rude Mr Luthor. "My name is Erik Lensherr. You may have heard of me."

"I might have." In less than glowing terms, grim and usually mentioned in the same breath as other terrorist madmen with a cause. "Now. Where would you prefer this conversation head?"

"I believe we can be more civilized about this," Erik replied and the metal released him. "I apologize for compromising this.. treatment center."

He reached to grasp tightly onto his wrist, reluctant to let it just *drop* in that semi disconnected state. "If you could just sort of lean the wall into place, I'll have it repaired in the morning." The miracle of it was that one way glass had saved the patients from a very startling evening. 

"As you wish," Erik answered accomplishing the feat with very little effort. "Your hand is an elegant piece of cybernetics. Who designed it for you ?"

"I designed it for myself." He wondered what the man saw, felt, was picking up on, beyond just basic magnetic waves. There was a difference between the reality and the press report of a thing.

"Indeed? I did not realize you were than much of an engineer Mr Luthor," Erik said as if he hadn't crashed through the wall into his life. "It is a passion of mine, I admit it. I can appreciate a work of art."

"This was more a work of necessity," Lex admitted, taking a step away from the wall as he carefully adjusted the wiring. It said something about his life when flying men crashing through a wall didn't phase him much more than a slight elevation of his heart rate. "I heal, which made the biologic mesh take very well, but not to the point that it recovered from amputation. You're quite a bit more than the news says if you can make sense of the composition." 

"Indeed. Let's just say I am aware of magnetic forces in a very intimate way.." And the look he gave Lex then was... was distinctly sexual.”

It was hard to not smile as he finished settling his hand back into place, no damage done. "Why don't we go upstairs to discuss this? I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt with that pickup line."

Erik looked faintly startled. "Ah..well that was not actually intended as a pick up line but..." But he was interested. Lex sometimes wondered if there was some element of charm ability to his mutant powers because he did seem to have this effect on people. "But I promise to not take any more liberties with the structure of your building."

"My building and the people in it appreciate that." He brushed his sleeve off, as if it helped with the dust at all, the scrapes from the metal, and gestured for the man to follow him to the elevator. 

It seemed ridiculously prosaic to be taking an elevator ride with a man who could fly - and interesting manipulation of forces right there, and he was conscious of the other mans eyes on him the whole ride up. He was accustomed to the public eye, to scrutiny, and bore it easily, reaching forward to key in his code and allow the doors to open up to his quarters after a brief retinal scan. "Everything here is my design, actually.”

"You have a high regard for security I see," Erik answered. "It gave the impression of an experimental prison facility when I scanned it."

"Locks and bars and security measures. It's impossible to actually keep people outside, so you need to treat a building like an onion. Let intruders in, lock them down in another place. Few people ever actually *meet* me under these circumstances." He tried to make it clear that the man was an exception to a firm rule, as he let him follow him through the entry hallway.

"And why are you doing allowing me that privilege?” Erik asked as he wandered in behind him.

"Because if you're as powerful as I suspect you are, it doesn't matter. That puts us on equal footing, and that interests me." He let the door fall closed behind him as he led the way toward the lush, comfortable livingroom. "Do you drink?"

"It has been known," Erik said wryly as he sat down. "I am flattered."

"Preference?" Lex pressed, lifting up a bottle of Macallan 25-year-old. "I'm rather honored to meet you."

"That will be very acceptable," Erik answered. "The feeling is mutual. Charles always used to tell me that I am too hasty to believe the worst of people. But then he starts on about my traumatic youth and frankly, I find that navel gazing tiring. I'd much rather do something more pleasant.”

"Better to assume everyone is out to ruin you and everything you care about." It was grim, and firm, and he didn't let it actually impact his mood as he poured two generous glasses of the whiskey. "Let them prove you wrong, and you find yourself in a stronger position rather than a weaker one."

"Exactly. I am a scientist of sorts myself. I find it...the proof lies on that side of the equation. I believe in seizing the day." 

"And some pieces of concrete with too high an iron content," Lex smirked as he sat down casually next to the man. "I can walk you through everyone afflicted downstairs, afterwards. You may have contacts with solutions unknown to me."

"It is possible. I have met a few unstable mutants in my time." He drank the whisky, raising his eyebrows. "Very good."

"Good." He took a slow sip himself, and let it linger again his palate before swallowing. "Kryptonite is not the kindest mutagen."

"Apparently not. From your lack of reaction to my appearance, you must have seen a wide variety of manifestations?" Erik half asked, half stated.

"Uncontrollable hunger. Ice, freezing, skin shifters, lightning, partial insect people, water, and a hundred replays of fatal attractions. Lust abilities and... Everything." He waved one hand.

"That is a high concentration of forced evolution in one area," Erik said. "It seems to be more common now. there was a time where mutants were literally one or two in a worldwide generation."

"This was radioactivity," he shrugged slowly, taking another sip. "And superman. The world is changing."

"Mm. I have so far managed to avoid Superman," he said savoring the drink. 

"Lucky." He leaned back in the sofa, and took a sip of his own. "He's... Frustratingly black and white about the world."

"There are plenty of grey areas that I have experienced. Black and white is the luxury of people who have not experienced the true darkness of humanity." He grimaced a little. "I believe you know what I am talking about which makes it even more unusual you have invited me here."

Lex tilted his head from side to side thoughtfully. "I enjoy taking risks where the reward seems as if it will balance. I really think we could support each-other."

"It is possible. I believe that those with powers and abilities are not freaks and something other than human, but something more than human," Erik answered. He had drunk a reasonable amount of the spirit and seemed to be leaning close to him. "If I could not exercise my abilities, it would like losing a sense, or limb,” he gestured at a metal sculpture and made it float towards them.

It was hard to not smile and feel awe as he watched the extremely expensive piece of junk art float toward him. "I wish most days that my manifestation was like that. Tangible."

It spun into something more liquid and complex in front of them. "Your abilities are tangible… the engineering of your hand. A high degree of sensitivity and autonomic function. You could program it to have a lot of alternative functions."

"Armaments immediately come to mind." He kept his eyes on the metal, imagining the changing of covalent bonds as the metal moved.

"When you can't trust other people it is useful to be able to entertain yourself," he said giving a little smirk. "As well as defend yourself."

"You're never unarmed. That's handy." And explained why the man was wanted by so many governments but still alive and well, apparently. Lex looked sideways at him, and quirked his mouth. "What else is it handy for?"

"Do you really want to know?" he said and smiled. The metal flexed a little and inched towards his hand.

Lex held still, trying to watch both the man and the metal as it moved. "I do."

"I thought I detected some reaction when I secured you earlier," he said. The metal curled on him, cool and fluid on his hand.

"You pick up on galvanic response?" He let himself feel it, and acknowledge the weight of the metal against his skin. Controlled by the other man.

"It is amazing how much of the bodies functions involve electromagnetism," he replied. "and robotic parts... I could have controlled that hand of yours."

"You still could." It was interesting to suggest it and just wonder where the man went with it. Wether he would or not and what he'd do with it when he did.

"Hmm, I wonder. I might be able to retain the sensory input from it. I wonder what that would feel like. Unable to control it but able to feel it.." Erik mused looking at him. It was strange to suddenly fell parts of his clothing moving.

Buttons giving way, and Lex exhaled in a huff, stretching as he let the other man undress him. At that point it was easier to help get himself naked before he considered helping undress the other man.

"It is rather easy to do this...there is so much metal in most objects,” Erik said with a smile.

"The amount of metal has nothing to do with the finesse." He reached with his free hand to pull Erik closer.

""Mm. You are very attractive,"Erik murmured leaning forward even as the metal slithered over his skin.

It felt amazing, cool and hot as it stretched and molded, electrons being spent and regained and Lex had never considered physics quite so sexually before that moment, not in a wanting to fuck because of it was as he leaned in to kiss Erik.

The response was hungry and intense, and the feeling of the metal and the lips, and warm hands was a turn on.

It was hard to not be turned on by the contrast, the masterful control. The control the man had over his tools was almost more heady than the kissing, and Lex kissed him back eagerly.

He almost missed the moment when his hand started to do things on it's own. It was bizarre. He could still feel it with the neuro-feedback but it was… wandering without the intervention of his brain.

Sliding along Erik's back, a strange disconnect as the fingers moved of someone else's violation. "Huh, that feels..."

"I can disconnect the sensation if that helps," he said kissing him again.

"No, it's fascinating." And the kisses distracted him slowly from the awkwardness of it again.

"Mm, it is intriguing," he said and the hand moved again, taking his arm with it. It started to move over his own skin.

He has the sensation of his hand on his skin, but it was different than touching himself, different his usual masturbatory habits. The motions were foreign, and distracting in a good way.

Interesting to feel, to savor his own touch in a different way. In a warm technical embrace, distracting himself kissing the other man.

"You enjoy not being control a little don't you?" Erik murmured. "Have you always been turned on by danger?"

"Tends to go hand in hand. And the, your control..." He exhaled shakily because it was impressive and arousing.

A slither of metal slipped around his other wrist and tugged that hand forward as well. "You value control in others... well, good to know. I could dangle you mid air from this, you know. "

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Lex asked it in his most seductive tone of voice, half laughing.

"It could be either," he said kissing him again. He was pulled into his arms and upwards.

It was unexpected, because where would they be going? But his ceilings were high enough, even if the motion made him clutch desperately for a moment. 

It wasn't that high off the ground in the end, but it was high enough to allow him to twist freely and feel the strange prickle of electromagnetism over his skin. 

"How much control does this take?" It was hard to not ask it in astonishment.

"A reasonable amount if I am being careful of someone else’s safety," Erik replied, his white hair flaring with the electric charge. "Propelling myself is second nature now."

Like breathing, like *surviving* except it was the backbone of their world that he controlled, electricity and magnetism and Lex didn't know what else but it made his dick ache to consider.

"Come to me Lex," Erik beckoned and he floated inexorably over to him even as Erik began to move in earnest against him mid air.

"Too many clothes," Lex complained as he struggled to get himself more usefully undressed.

Anything with metal he felt tugged from his limbs rapidly. It didn't leave him with much to be rid of and Erik was striping as well. Easiest undressing he'd ever undergone, and it made it freeing to kiss him, sliding his hands down the man's lean sides, his tight ass as his pants finally came off. It was disorienting, but amazing at the same time.

Metal twined around him, tight but not constraining. It took him a moment to realize Erik was using it as support to keep him floating without it putting too much strain on one body part. His interest in his hand had faded a little and been replaced by the dizzying swirl of them mid air.

The metal was as fascinating as the air, the easy weave and manipulation of it as he closed his eyes and tried to get a hand n the man's dick. His hand moved over skin that showed the texture of scars and there was a strength to the man and a core that felt like the metal he could manipulate. It was going to be the start of an excellent partnership.


End file.
